Aishwarya sends legal notice to Madhur

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan seems to have had enough of her name being dragged into controversies related to director Madhur Bhandarkar’s film Heroine. Sources indicate that she has sent Bhandarkar and UTV a legal notice barring them...

Actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan seems to have had enough of her name being dragged into controversies related to director Madhur Bhandarkar’s film Heroine. Sources indicate that she has sent Bhandarkar and UTV a legal notice barring them from ever using the footage and stills she shot for the film earlier this year.

Ash, who was dropped from the film in June when it became public that she is pregnant, has since been dragged into several film-related controversies. “Ash is fed up of the whole thing. She’s been ethical and professional about the matter. But, considering the way things ended on a sour note with Bhandarkar, she does not want him to use any of the stills or scenes that she had already shot at any point in the future,” says the source. In yet another move to distance herself from the film, Ash recently returned the signing amount paid to her by UTV. “We never asked for the money but we did receive a cheque of Rs 22.5 lakh,” says an official from the production house.

Not confirming the amount, Ash’s spokesperson said, “It was just a token amount that she had got from UTV. She thought it was fair to return it, even though they insisted that she should keep it, considering she had shot for so many days.” A source close to Bhandarkar says he feels it was a good gesture on Ash’s part. “It was a professional move. The eight days that Aishwarya shot the film cost a lot of money and there were big losses incurred after the film was stalled,” he says.

Ash’s role has now been given to Kareena Kapoor, who, reportedly is charging a record amount to have rescued the film.